


The Bigger They Are, The Harder They Hit

by Test_Tube_Writer



Series: Nuclear Throne Story Mode [3]
Category: Nuclear Throne (Video Game)
Genre: Boss Fight, Gen, I suck at tagging can you tell?, Nuclear Throne Story Mode, Rescue
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-06
Updated: 2020-08-25
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:08:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,736
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22590745
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Test_Tube_Writer/pseuds/Test_Tube_Writer
Summary: Rogue has been in the Wasteland for three weeks now. While she's done her best to help protect the mutants from her pursuers, she does so at the sake of her own safety. Fish is having none of it, and after a heated argument between the two she strikes off for her own. But while she's gone disaster strikes. Now she has to rescue Fish from the heart of the Bandit encampment. At the same time she'll have to fight their leader, a bandit bigger and stronger than all of them combined. And he has his eye out for a certain shiny rock...
Series: Nuclear Throne Story Mode [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1609027
Comments: 6
Kudos: 18





	1. Beware of Bandits

**Author's Note:**

> I split this one into two chapters because it was getting much too long. I mean, it's longer than the last one, and I'm not even done yet.
> 
> Comments are appreciated! Thank you to everyone who's been keeping up with the story!

It had been roughly three weeks since Private Officer Shani had disappeared into an inter dimensional portal, and emerged as the I.D.P.D’s most wanted criminal, Rogue. Well, she didn't actually know if she was the most wanted, but it sure felt like she was. I.D.P.D officers were swarming the desert everyday, spewing out of portals two at a time. Their guns were trained on her most of the time, but when the officers had a clear shot at her mutant companions they took it.

Eyes dove into the sand as blaster fire raced for his head. He scrambled behind the nearest cover: a huge, sun-baked, skull. Fish was already there, crouching and reloading his revolver. He kept his eyes on the fight, searching. A bullet ricocheted off of the skull mere centimeters from his face and he jumped back, but not before spotting the dirty blue jumpsuit that darted through the gunfire. 

“Rogue, stop showing off and take cover!” He yelled. 

On her first day in the wasteland Rouge had refused to fire on the officers. The fear that she would kill people she’d known, people that she had possibly been friends with, was too much. She had convinced the mutants to stay back while she tried to talk to them. She'd taken two blasts to the shoulder and one in the gut. Her suit kept the shots from doing much damage, but their intentions had pierced her to the bone. While she had healed she stayed back at camp. When the mutants would return with pilfered blasters she would turn away, swallowing down the lumps that formed in her throat. It wasn't news to her that she couldn't go home, but the feelings of mourning for what she'd left behind had never been stronger. Now she didn't hold back. Every shiny blue suit was only a shooting automaton in a helmet, only a target, and she never missed. 

The way she saw it the mutants stood no chance with their old, tarnished shotguns and rusty melee tools. I.D.P.D blasters had a near infinite energy supply, meaning that there was no need to stop and reload as the mutants did. The mutants also didn't have reinforced protective suits. Blaster hits left Fish and Eyes with dark bruises and painful burns. Crystal could take many more hits than them, given her tough crystalline body and shielding ability, but Rogue had seen the way she winced when trying to rub the black marks from her sides and face. 

No, this fight should be fought by her and her alone. She should make the I.D.P.D fight someone who was on their level. So, every time a new I.D.P.D portal appeared and deposited a new squad of shooters Rogue would stand her ground while the mutants ran for cover. It was a risky and foolish way to fight and she knew it. After most of these gunfights she would walk away covered in bruises. Once a short distance shot had even managed to dislocate her shoulder. But to her it was easier to deal with unnecessary wounds than the guilt she felt when the others took a hit for her. 

“Rogue!” Fish yelled again. “Get! Down!”

“Heard you the first time.” She spat in shoddy trashtalk. A blaster shot hit her in the side. 

She dropped and rolled. Her blaster fired three times as she rose. Three hostiles fell. Their armored suits had weak points and she knew them all by heart. Rogue turned to look for the rest but found her view obstructed by towering purple crystals. She grimaced and ran around the blockade, running toward the last four officers. Crystal shrunk back down, sprinted ahead of her, and shielded again. Rouge slammed into her and fell back. 

Unlike the others, Crystal had been doing her best to adapt to Rogue’s suicidal way of fighting. She would follow her into the fray and do her best to deflect whatever blasts she could. But Crystal couldn't stay in her shield form for long, and changing out of it while in the middle of the fight often resulted in her taking blows in her more vulnerable default state. Rogue had tried to dissuade this by fighting more recklessly, but Crystal followed her without fail. It felt like the more she tried to help the more they both got hurt. 

Heavy blaster fire sounded from behind Crystal’s jagged mass, followed by deafening gun fire and the solid “thwack” of someone being struck by a shovel. Rogue stayed prone on the ground, too sore to get up. She shut her eyes and let the warmth of the sand and sun soothe her muscles. Her nose itched, but she didn't try to scratch it. 

Her respirator had been on since first arriving in the wasteland, and she'd had to make peace with the discomfort it caused her. When her face had started getting sunburned she’d been close to removing it, thinking about how silly she'd look with tan lines surrounding her nose and mouth. Then she'd remembered that the contaminated air could be carrying enough radiation to kill her with one lungful. Now she barely noticed it was there, save for when she had to change its filters. 

Footsteps approached and stopped next to her ear. Rouge kept her eyes closed, not ready to stand back up yet. She would have to remember to swipe the respirator filters from the I.D.P.D corpses. 

“Is she unconscious?” Asked Crystal in a worried voice. 

“Nah,” Fish grunted, “I can see her eyes moving under the lids. Come on, kid, get up.”

She could hear the frustration in his voice. While Crystal went along with her behavior and Eyes kept his feelings (mostly) to himself, Fish was progressively getting angrier with her. He was the leader, and when he shouted orders to someone who wasn't listening it irked him. And now, with her and Crystal leaving battles with more and more injuries, he seemed to be nearing his breaking point. 

Rogue groaned and sat up. “Don't give me the spiel again, Fish. I'm not in the mood.”

“At this point I can't tell if you're actually trying to get yourself killed, or just want to pi-tick me off.” 

She chuckled. Fish could shoot a dozen bandits and I.D.P.D officers dead, but still refuse to say a curse word. Crystal started searching her suit for blood, but she waved the mutant away. 

“They're aiming for me. The more exposed I am the safer you'll be.” She said, “Besides, I'm the only one that can match them in a gunfight.”

Eyes mumbled a sarcastic remark. His life-saving dive had gotten sand in a number of his eyes. Fish growled and pinched the patch of skin where his nose used to be. 

“We'll all be safer if we stick together and watch each others’ backs. What's the point of traveling in a group if we don't look out for each other?” His gills flared as he raised his voice. 

Rouge pushed herself to her feet and clipped her blaster on her belt. All of the hurt and anger that she'd been forcing down suddenly started rising back up. “What's the point of sticking together if all we do is make a bigger target?” She threw her hands up in exasperation. “I shouldn't be here, in this group! All that I'm doing by staying is pointing more guns at you. I came here to save one person, but now I have three more people to worry about.” 

She had tried to strike out on her own, she really had. There was a sack at camp packed with her choice of guns, ammo, and first aid supplies ready to go. But, every time Shani started off on her own she never made it far. I.D.P.D had prepared her for many things: gun fights, wasteland survival, endurance training, but she'd never done anything on her own. Through boot camp and as an officer she had grown up sleeping in a bunk house, using a communal shower, and eating in a cafeteria surrounded by at least a hundred or more people at all times. Even in her down time, when she'd separate herself from the crowd, she hadn't been alone. Hunter had been by her side constantly. Sometimes they would talk, other times they'd sit quietly and enjoy their brief solitude in each others’ company. Being alone now, by herself, was unnerving, uncomfortable, and somehow the mutants seemed to know that. Less than an hour after leaving camp on her own they would catch up to her. Or, she would be cornered by waiting I.D.P.D and they would come running over the sand with guns blazing. No matter how they caught up with her, she would always follow them back to camp for the night, shoulders hunched in defeat. 

But she had come so far on her own at first! She had stolen the Portal Strike on her own, and made it to this dimension on her own, but now it seemed that she couldn't do anything without the help of the mutants. It was infuriating and embarrassing. Rouge turned around and kicked up a cloud of sand. A weak gust of wind blew it into her eyes. 

“Fuck!” She yelled and clawed at her eyes. 

Crystal tugged at her elbow and handed Rogue her polishing cloth. Eyes laughed in the background while she scrubbed at the offending sand. Fish watched with his face set in an angry scowl. 

“We can take care of ourselves.” He said, “You're traveling with us because you wanted help. But, if all you're gonna do is throw yourself in front of bullets, then you can head back to camp.” 

“Ohh, you're trying to be my dad now and send me to my room?” She turned to face him. Crystal’s cloth fell out of her hand and fluttered to the ground. “I know why I'm here, and it's because you won't let me leave. I don't need you and Crystal looking after me like I'm some kid. Why don't you knock off your helicopter parent schtick, huh?” 

Fish glared, fins flattening against his skull. A dark look passed over his face. “Go back to camp, Rogue. Once you get there you can either calm down and get your head back on straight, or you can pack up and leave. You're putting all of us in danger with your f-stupid kamikaze act, and I won't put up with it any longer.”

Crystal wrung her hands together nervously. Eyes had gone quiet and was watching, a few of his eyes still trying to blink themselves clean. Rogue shook her head and started walking away. Her face burned with a mixture of anger, embarrassment, and shame. Yes, she had obviously struck a nerve, and she felt terrible about it. But! She refused to apologize while he scolded her like this. He was scolding her? A fully fledged member of the Inter Dimensional Police Department? It was insulting! On top of that her eyes were still watering from the sand. She must look like such a fucking baby.

“Fine. Whatever.” She said over her shoulder. 

Crystal looked between Fish’s scowling face and Rogue’s retreating form. Only when she was positive that Rogue was out of earshot did she finally speak. 

“Do you think she'll make it back okay?” 

“She'll be more than okay. I feel bad for whatever sap tries to get in her way right now.” He turned his back on her and went to scour the I.D.P.D corpses for supplies. 

Crystal sighed. “I'm sure she's just acting out of anger. She’s had a lot of change in a very short time. All these people she used to know firing at her can't be helping either. I can't imagine the kind of stress she must be under. We must have been in similar shape after the blast happened. Right, Eyes?” She looked to the blue mutant for support. 

Eyes looked at her and the fuming Fish. I'd rather not get involved in this, he thought. He stuck out his fingers and waved them back and forth in front of his neck. 

Crystal, never one to give up, started to try a new approach. “Well-” 

“You don't have to make excuses for her, Crys.” Fish interrupted. “She's old enough to act her age.” Fish hefted an armful of blasters and passed them to Eyes. 

“But, Fish, she can't be more than eighteen. All children that age get a bit rebellious.” 

Fish ran a hand over his top fin. “Yeah, and that there's another reason I never wanted kids.” He bent low over one of the bodies, grumbling. “-grow up into disrespectful punks that don’t bother saying thank you.”

Crystal sighed. “Oh, Fish, be nice. Children are complex human beings.”

He ignored her and instead focused on fiddling with the dead officers.

Eyes peered over the fish man’s shoulder and hummed something that sounded like: Whatcha got there?

“Mind your own business.” Fish snapped. A respirator fell to the ground as he tried to shove a handful into his bag without anyone seeing. 

Eyes shrugged and backed away. He shoved the pilfered blasters into his sack and hoisted it over his shoulder. Crystal caught him staring at Rogue’s footprints in the sand. Turning to her he pointed towards where Rogue had gone, pantomimed walking, and then shrugged. 

“I’m sure she’ll be waiting by the fire when we get back.” She patted the lanky mutant’s hand. Crystal jerked her head (more like her whole body) towards the green mutant, who was rifling through the pockets of the dead. “I can't see him letting her go so easily. His heart’s too big for his own good, you know. When we first met he was so hung up on keeping me safe, well, you would have thought I was some little dainty glass thing. There was this one ti-”

Eyes suddenly pushed Crystal to the ground. Bullets flew overhead and smacked against the fossilized skull. Eyes pulled her up and pointed upwards to a tall, burly silhouette standing atop a nearby sand dune. A tattered cape billowed behind it in the wind. 

“Get ‘em, gang!” A booming laugh echoed over the sand.

Fish dropped his sack and reached for his revolver only to be tackled from behind. Bandits came pouring out of seemingly nowhere and everywhere at once. They came running down the dunes and rose out of the sand like maggots. Several of them clasped guns in their bandaged hands. 

Eyes ran to Fish and tried to shove the bandits off of him. One snuck behind him, grabbed hold of the shovel strapped to his back, and used it to pull him down. Flailing madly, Eyes fell backwards and disappeared under a pile of short, mummy-like bodies. 

Crystal looked around frantically. She could try and help her friends, but that would put her at risk of being caught. If she ran they might follow her back to camp, and there was no one there who could help her. No one except…

The towering bandit hefted a huge gun. It looked like a missile launcher made of blaster bits and gun scraps mashed together. He aimed it at Crystal and let fly an explosive spray of bullets. She could barely shift into her shield form before she was hit. Most of the rounds bounced off of her facets, but a few hit hard enough to chip away pieces of her form. When the barrage stopped she shifted back and stumbled, her body vibrating from the force of the blows. A shard of purple glittered in the sand. 

“Crys!” Fish was struggling to lift himself off the ground. The bandits were piled on his back and grabbing at his arms trying to pin him down. One had straddled his back and was tugging at his ear fins as if they were horse reins. His eyes met hers and he yelled at the top of his lungs, “RUN!”

Crystal turned tail and ran. The sand behind her exploded as the bandit leader fired another chain of bullets. She pumped her legs and kept running, the dry desert sand whistling through her eye holes as she ran. She didn't chance a look back, as to do so she would have to stop running and turn her whole body around. Instead she recited a mantra in her head, a constant marching of ‘please be okay, and ‘please hold on’ pacing her head as she fled. 

Fish’s chin hit the sand as the bandits finally wrestled his arms out from under him. They pinned them against his back and the muzzle of a pistol was shoved against his temple. Beside him Eyes screamed muffled complaints as one of the bandits forced his head down with its foot, heel grinding against a closed eye. Fish watched Crystal’s retreating form. Two large, steel-toed boots stepped in front of him, blocking his view. 

“Is that tha mean, green, fish face?” Mocked a deep, raspy voice. It wrestled with words, as if the brain creating them was under great stress. 

The bandit kneeled in front of Fish, making him turn his head sideways to look up at him. Two fat fingers gripped his ear fin and tugged it up and down. 

“Not so tough now are ya, small fishy?” Glee dripped from his voice. 

Fish snarled at the bandit, brandishing his sharp teeth. It earned him another tug on his fin. His eyes watered. When the bandit let go it throbbed painfully.

The big bandit shook his head sadly. “Such a mean fishy. Shooty so many of my favalah, killed so many of my bandits.”

It was difficult to understand him through his slurred accent. He recognized that kind of speech pattern, though. This bandit was suffering from rad overexposure. “You're bandits shot at us first.” Fish shot back. 

Eyes glared at him. “Don't make this worse, I swear to god!” His look said. 

“Yeh, but fishy and all a fishy’s friends shot ‘em dead.” The bandit hefted his monstrous gun. “Now fishy’s gonna be our friend.” 

The lackey bandits suddenly retreated, leaving Fish unrestrained. He jumped to his feet and reached for his revolver only to find it missing. Of course they wouldn't leave him armed. Fish and the tall bandit stood facing each other in an empty circle of sand. The bandits ringed it, shuffling in their dirty cloth wrappings. Fish did his best to not look intimidated as he sized up the bandit leader. 

If he were standing next to someone like Rogue, he probably wouldn't have appeared so unnaturally tall. But ringed by the bandits, each only a foot or two tall, he looked like a giant. No doubt it was a side effect of taking in so much extra radiation. He was covered in wrappings just like the rest, but he had taken time to reinforce himself with steel plated armor and a few tattered items of clothing. A steel mouthpiece accentuated a strong jawline, and his thick leather gloves and boots were studded and plated. His ripped, billowing cape gave him a striking silhouette. Fish didn't stand a chance against him in a fight, armed or otherwise. Rad exposure messed with the brain, meaning there was no chance to try and reason with him either. At best, he could try stalling them.

“Well, I'm flattered you all find me so interesting. But if I'm supposed to be your friend and all, like you said,” he spoke slowly, planning each word, “what am I expected to call you, then? Can't call you all just Bandit, now can I?” He looked over the hoard, finger tapping his chin in feigned contemplation. 

He was stalling for two reasons. Firstly, bandits weren't very smart. They fought in huge groups because overwhelming their target was the only way they could win. If he could find some way to confuse all of them, even just for a moment, then there was a chance he could disarm the nearest bandit and start mowing them down. The normal sized ones at least. After that he would have to try his best to avoid the big one and shoot him as many times as he could.

Secondly, there was a chance that Crystal would catch up with Rogue before she reached the camp. If she did then they could both be on their way back right now. Keeping the bandits together in one place would allow for an ambush. One gun was better than no guns, and there was a chance that Rogue could take them all out with her fancy blaster. Bandits weren't coordinated like the I.D.P.D, and they were much worse with their aim. Her bob and weave techniques would be much less dangerous on these enemies. And Crystal, well, she was a tough one. Fish would prefer she not go back into battle after how the bandit’s shots had affected her, but he knew better than to think Crystal would stay on the sidelines. 

The bandit leader puffed his chest. “I'm da Big Bandit.”

Fish snapped back to the problem at hand. “You don't say,” he said with synthetic awe. “Ah, um, I'm Fish.” He was running out of things to say. Damn. He looked around and saw Eyes still pinned to the ground. 

“That's my buddy, Eyes, over there.” He pointed at him. “Why don't you let him get up? He can uh, introduce himself, heh, and we can all be friends together, huh?”

Eyes squinted. Have you lost your mind? I honestly can't tell.

Big Bandit threw back his head and laughed his bellowing laugh. “Na. We’s all just after you, little fishy.” 

The bandit darted forward and grabbed him. His huge hand encased Fish’s arm from shoulder to wrist, webbed hand peeking out the other side in a puny fist. Fish was still processing what had happened when Big Bandit lifted him off the ground. His shoulder ached as it was forced to bear his weight. Eyes yelled something and a bandit kicked sand over his head. 

Fish scratched at and beat against the bandit’s fist with his free hand. When that didn't work he resorted to biting at the fingers with his pointed teeth. His attacks were met with either rusty steel or thick leather. Big Bandit laughed again, taking no damage from the desperate attacks. 

“Funny lil fishy. We gonna have a lotsa fun with yous. Den, we’s gonna findy your pretty shiny friend.” He threw Fish down unceremoniously. 

He landed painfully on his side. His shoulder hurt like hell, but didn't seem to be dislocated. Even if it had been, Fish was only focused on what he'd just heard the bandit say. 

“Why are you bringing Crystal into this?” He grit his teeth and struggled to stand. It felt like his hip was bruised. 

The bandit moved closer and leaned over him. Fish was covered in his shadow. Involuntary he found himself shivering.

“You and shiny been out heres shooting bandits da longest. We gonna catch yous other friends too, but now,” the bandit's one eye smoldered, “let's get ya back t’ camp, my fishy friend.”

“I'd rather not,” he said nervously. He dug his heels into the sand and pushed himself backwards. “Maybe we can jus-”

Swinging it off his shoulder the Big Bandit struck him with the butt of his giant weapon. The hit landed squarely between his eyes. Fish fell backwards onto the sand, groaning. 

“Leave dat one heres.” He pointed at Eyes. “I'll be back for ‘em when I'm done. Rest a yous come wit me.”

He grabbed Fish by the back of the neck and slung him over his shoulder. The green mutant hung their limply, arms swaying back and forth with the bandit's steps. As he was turning to leave he stopped and picked something out of the sand. It was a shard of purple stone. He held it between two fingers and watched it glitter in the sun. Two bandits tugged on his cape and raised their small hands toward the shard. 

“Yous want rock?” 

The two nodded, and started pushing and shoving each other, fighting for ownership of the piece. A few more bandits joined it and their leader laughed. 

“My little bandits, there is more than enough for all of yous!” He cradled the jagged shard in his palm and crushed it with his fist. When he opened his hand purple grains showered down on the group. They caught the pieces in their tiny hands and fawned over them. 

“After we catches the shiny, we’s all gonna have pretty sparkles!” 

The bandits cheered and followed their leader as he marched away. Eyes watched them go with what few eyes he had that weren't full of sand. The bandits left behind to guard him turned to study him with their glowing, singular red eyes.

The mouth less mutant gulped. Oh fuck.

“I should just go. I should've BEEN gone, but he just, I don't even know what he's been doing.” Rouge unclipped her fanny pack and shoved it into her supply bag. “What does he think I am? Some stupid kid? I am a trained officer of the I.D.P.D!” She slung the sack over her shoulder and turned to face the mutant laying by the fire. “AND I'm an adult. I'm twenty one years old. The government says I'm old enough to be trusted with alcohol and cars at the same time.”

Melting gave no indication that he was listening. To anyone unfamiliar with Melting, it would look as if she were ranting to a skull lodged in semi-hardened wax. But despite his appearance, Melting was a sentient, functional mutant. When Rogue had first seen him emerge from his canopy shelter she had screamed and tried to shoot him. If Eyes hadn't tackled her she probably would have. 

In her defense, Melting was the most horrifying thing she had ever seen. His body was made of liquefied skin tissue hanging from his bleached skeleton. It would stretch downwards in fat globs and rejoin the mass. He never left any pieces behind. The consistency of it reminded her of the stuff inside of lava lamps. 

Even after camping with him for the last three weeks she still found him unnerving. Just looking at him made her skin crawl, but he was a good listener. Either he couldn't talk, or he just chose not to. Rogue had used his silence as an excuse to vent to him whenever she found herself alone at camp. He stayed there while the others went out to scavenge. By day he hid from the sun under his ragged canopy and at night he crawled beside the fire. Melting didn't leave camp unless they were moving it to a new location. Crystal had told her that he was in constant pain due to his condition and moving made it worse. Melting truly was, in her mind, the stuff of nightmares.

She shook her head and returned to her rant. “If the government of my dimension thinks I'm old enough to make life ruining decisions, then I'm old enough to travel through a radioactive wasteland on my own.” 

Melting’s surface rippled and he raised his skull - half covered by a gooey flap of flesh - towards the horizon. Rogue followed the direction his eye socket was pointed at. Someone was running toward the camp. She drew her blaster and took aim. Had someone, or something, seen her footprints and decided to follow them?

The figure got closer and soon Rogue could make out bright purple facets. She lowered her gun, annoyed. Crystal didn't trust her to get to camp on her own. That had to be the reason she was on her own. Rogue felt her face flare up and she scowled. She was thinking of some angry, scathing remark to make when she noticed something was wrong. Crystal wasn't slowing down. Even when she was close enough to see Rogue she kept running as if trying to outrun some demon of hell. Only when she was standing in front of the ex-officer did she stop. She slouched forward and braced her hands on her knees, taking deep breaths that whistled through her hollow center. Rogue spotted chips on her pointed head.

“Crystal?” Rogue knelt in front of the rock mutant. She resisted the urge to run her fingers over the grooves. What the hell was strong enough to knock pieces off of Crystal? “What's wrong? What happened?”

“Bandits!” She yelled breathlessly. “Ambushed! Bandits! Fish-”

“Crystal, stop,” she said quickly. “I can't translate what you're saying when you're talking so fast.”

Rogue had been forced to give up on using her translator. Registering trashtalk, the mutants’ language, had been difficult. They lacked a written equivalent, and trying to spell them out herself caused problems with her verbal translator. She’d had to forego that as well. Trashtalk was an extremely guttural language, and when the neckband had tried to alter her speech Rogue would be left with a sore throat after choking out a single word. Now she was learning the language from Fish, but she was still having a hell of a time with it.

Melting watched silently. If he'd caught any of what Crystal had been saying he gave no indication. Rogue put her hands on Crystal’s biceps, the mutant's shoulders too small to rest a hand on. She was still panting heavily and making quiet noises as if she were trying not to cry. 

“Shh, Crystal, you're okay.” Rogue reassured.

“Crystal,” the mutant huffed, “Crystal is okay, but the others aren't.”

Rogue stood up. “Where are they? Back where I left?”

“Yes! We were ambushed by bandits. They...they got Fish and he made me run. They got Eyes too.”

“What do you mean they got them?” A cold feeling settled in her stomach. 

“Captured. The bandits jumped on them and knocked them down. Wait, no, they jumped on Fish, and then Eyes tried to help-Fish, not the bandits-and then they knocked him down. And there was this huge one. I think he was their leader, and he had this big, horrible gun, and-”

“Is that how you got chipped?”

“Chipped?!” Crystal looked over her arms and rubbed her face. “Where?”

“Nevermind that.” Rogue snatched up her sack and started pulling out guns. “We have to go save them. Grab some guns and we'll get going.”

Crystal wrung her hands. “Erm, Rogue? We need to go over something first. This bandit...”

Rogue hefted the Portal Strike onto her back. She'd been messing with its wiring trying to find a way to weaponize it. The damned thing refused to make another portal, but it's mysterious blue energy had to be good for something. She hadn't gotten it to do anything yet, but at the very least it was light, almost weightless, and it would protect her back from bullets. 

“What about him? Is he bullet proof? Because I have a few grenade launchers here that we can use instead.” 

Crystal shook her head. “No. At least, I don't think so. He has some armor but-Wait!”

Rogue stopped as Crystal jumped in front of her, arms out to block her. She frowned.

“Crystal, whatever it is can't you tell me on the way? You all said these bandit guys shoot on sight. We have to hurry!”

Crystal shook furiously. Rogue realized that she was trying to shake her head. What a big difference a missing neck could make.

“Rogue, you can't risk taking any hits from his gun. If it can chip pieces off of me, then, well, it'll go right through you!” She shouted. 

“So I just won't get hit.” Rogue tried to move around the mutant, but Crystal moved with her.

“You have to promise me.” She begged, “Promise that you won't go jumping in front of all their bullets to distract them from me.”

“I-” 

“Rogue, I know you feel responsible for the I.D.P.D shooting at us. But, we've had people shooting at us long before you came around.”

Rogue looked away. Fish’s words had stung her more than she'd first thought. Now, hearing Crystal say nearly the same thing made her feel worse. She was torn. Her duty as I.D.P.D was to protect civilians from harm, and the mutants had been civilians once. On the other hand, the mutants had been protecting themselves up until now, and what good was a single cop in protecting multiple people? It felt like there was no right answer, no way for her to keep them out of harm's way, except if she left them behind. But right now that wasn't an option.

Crystal, sensing her hesitation, continued to speak. “We know how to fight, and obviously so do you. You're a hell of a shooter, Rogue. If we work together we'll be an unstoppable force. I'm sure of it!”

Rogue blinked. “Crystal I, wait, did you just swear?” She'd learned during her second week in the wasteland that Crystal couldn't stand swearing.

“Yes,” Crystal grinned, “that's how serious I am.”

Could she really trust Crystal to hold her own? She'd seen her use a gun only once or twice in the past three weeks. While not an exceptional shot, her shielding ability did give her a definite upper hand. Rogue ran a hand through her hair. Her bangs fell back against her forehead in greasy strands. She could really use a shower. 

“Okay,” Rogue clapped her hands together. “We'll compromise. I promise no more cover skipping if you promise to not get in front of the big guy’s gun.”

“And we'll both watch each other's backs. Yell out to duck and such.”

“Deal.”

They shook hands, Crystal's stony hand warm in Rogue’s gloved one. The former officer shoved a revolver through the strap of her fanny pack and lodged a shotgun between her back and the Portal Strike. It wouldn't hurt to have backups in case something happened to her blaster. Crystal led her back the way they'd come, a revolver in one hand and a grenade launcher in the other. Melting watched them leave, the gooey flesh along the side of his jaw stretching into a smile. He could almost smell the blood in the air.


	2. Actions Unseen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rogue and Crystal return to the canyon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this story is three chapters now, because I'm 35 pages into this arc and still going. The next chapter will be the final one in the desert area. I swear.

Hunter landed and threw his arms wide. “Bring it in, partner!” 

Shani shook her head. Pinching her nose she said, “Ew, no, you smell like sweat.”

Hunter launched himself at her waist and wrapped his arms around her. His head pressed against her ribs.

“It's the stink of victory. Take a big whiff.” He glared up at her with a smirk.

She laughed and tried to push him away. “You're fucking disgusting, Hunter.”

“Wow, never heard that before. What's next? You're gonna tell me I'm short?”

He let go and shuffled backwards. The bulky jetpack he carried threatened to topple him if he tried to straighten his back. They high fived and tried not to look too pleased as the other two officers sulked out of the simulation room. The deserted city street they were standing in dissolved leaving behind a large white room.

“Did you see the look on Sam’s face? He bet me ten bucks he'd win the fight today.” 

“Only ten? You should've raised it to twenty.”

Hunter shrugged, “I didn't want to seem too confident. The guy's prideful not stupid. Now, his partner on the other hand.”

“You mean Bella?”

“Yeah, her. She's got something wrong with her.”

Shani frowned. “You mean because she's clumsy?”

Bella had been close to landing a shot on Hunter. He'd swooped over her peppering the ground with blaster fire. She'd been running, blaster trained on his back, until she'd tripped over her own boots and fell. Hunter had taken her out immediately afterward.

“What? No! I'm not that cruel.” He said, “I meant that she turned me down. She said short guys are ugly, the heartless bitch.”

Shani laughed. “You mean to tell me you asked her out?”

“Duh!” He rolled his eyes. “She's way cute. You've seen her, right?”

“No, Hunter, I haven't seen her.” She said, “The communal shower gives us so much privacy.”

As they left the simulation room Hunter elbowed her. He motioned toward the pouty blond officer walking ahead of them. “D’ ya want me to put in a good word for you?”

“With who?”

He frowned at her. “Tell me that you're kidding.”

“If I do, will you explain what the hell you’re talking about?” She shot back.

“I'm talking about setting you up, you stupid bitch.” 

She blanched. “Set me up with Bella? No way.”

“Why? You think she's out of your league or something?” 

“She's straight, asshole.”

“My offer still stands! There's gotta be some hot lesbians I can help set you up with. You keep hanging around with me and people might get the wrong idea.”

Shani put a hand on his shoulder, making him stop. “Hunter,” she said, “I really appreciate you caring about my love life. Really, it's not creepy at all.”

He snorted and turned to leave. She held him in place.

“But, I would rather hang out with my best friend then go scrounging for dates. If I ever get a craving for...any of that other stuff, then I'll let you know. You can play wingman.”

Hunter smiled, touched by her honesty. Then his eyes twinkled and he smirked. “Well, if you’re ever in the mood for, you know,” he winked, “I may be short in stature but I assure you I've got a big, huge FUCKING-”

Before he could finish Shani had pushed him backwards. His jetpack pulled him down and he crashed onto his back. Hunter flailed his arms as the cylindrical pack sent him rolling onto his side.

“Oh, you absolute bitch!” He struggled to get up but the jetpack was too heavy. “Shani, fucking...fucking help me!” He could barely talk from how hard he was laughing.

Shani hunched over and clutched her stomach. “You fuckin’ bastard.” She gasped, “you wouldn't have fallen over if you were telling the truth.”

“Are you saying that I should be equally heavy on both sides?!” He collapsed on the floor in a heap. His visor was fogging up and his respirator crackled with laughter.

Shani fell on her knees and leaned against him, tears streaming down her face. They lay there in the middle of the hallway laughing uncontrollably. Officers passed them on either side as they hurried to get to where they needed to be. A few stopped to look at them. Others hurried on, determining that it was best to leave them alone and hope that the madness would sort itself out. After all, what kind of self respecting officer would act in such a way?

Rogue recognized the mouth of the narrow canyon. It was the last landmark she had passed when traveling with Fish. With any luck he and Eyes would still be in there. Rogue pulled Crystal away from the opening and led her to where the packed sand began rising into walls.

“We can go along the side and shoot at them from above.” She explained.

Crystal nodded and followed her. As the ground beneath their feet stayed level, to their right it sank lower until they were looking down into a deep chasm. Rogue scanned the distant ground for signs of the others. She recognized Fish’s distinctive webbed footprints, and those of Eyes’ long narrow feet. Two sets headed back the other way, her's and Crystal's. 

Crystal grabbed her by the wrist. “Do you hear that?” She whispered. 

There was a sound rising out of the canyon. Rogue flattened herself on her stomach and peered over the edge. Crystal stayed back. If she tried to lay down there was a chance she wouldn't be able to get back up without help.

“What do you see?” She whisper-yelled.

“It's Eyes.” Rogue whispered back.

The blue mutant was writhing in the sand. His wrists were bound behind his back and his ankles were tied together. A maggot charged at his head and he did his best to evade it. Three bandits stood around a small campfire nearby, their guns leaning against a giant skull. 

“There's only three bandits down there, and I can't see Fish.”

Crystal wrung her hands nervously. “They must have taken him back to their base.”

Rogue looked over her shoulder at the purple mutant. “They have a base? Why didn't we go there first?”

“Because...not now. Let's save Eyes first, then we can go after Fish.” She stepped closer to the cliff edge and peered down. “What's the plan?”

Rogue looked over the scene and took stock of their weapons. The bandits were grouped close enough to be taken out by a shot from the grenade launcher, but Eyes could be caught in the blast radius. She shifted her gaze to the skull. It was definitely big enough to shield a single mutant, but could it weather a grenade explosion?

“Crystal, how strong do you think that skull is?”

Crystal rubbed her chin. “Not as strong as me. What are you planning to hit it with?”

“Not it. Them.” She pointed at the chatting bandits. “If we can get a grenade to land right where their campfire is we can take them all out at once. The problem is making sure that Eyes is protected. Would that skull make a good shield?” 

Crystal's brows furrowed. She was extremely expressive for something made of stone, Rogue thought. 

“It'll do,” she sighed. “The real question is, how do we have him get behind it without alerting the bandits?”

Rogue tapped her fingers against her respirator. Her eyes widened and she snapped her fingers. “A light signal!” She exclaimed.

“You want to light a fire? Here?”

“No, we use something shiny to reflect the sunlight. He’ll see it, see us, then we just need to signal to him what we need him to do.”

Crystal chuckled, “So it's our turn to play charades, huh? Right, what do we use to make the signal?”

“I've got the perfect thing.” Rogue sat down and unzipped her fanny pack. 

Her badge was right where she'd left it, shoved under all her other I.D.P.D supplies. She hadn't touched it since first removing it all those days ago. She tried not to look at it directly, fearing that it would bring up memories or feelings best left forgotten. There was a mission to do, and no room for distractions. 

With the badge between her fingers she held it aloft and rotated it back and forth. On the ground below a spark of light flitted over the sand. Rogue waved her hand. The light passed over the bandits’s heads and they looked up. She flung herself backwards and out of their sight. Heart hammering she crept back up to the edge and counted the silent seconds in her head.

When she dared to look back over the edge the bandits had returned to their conversation. Eyes was looking up at the cliffside. They made eye contact and he tried to lift his head out of the sand. 

“I've got his attention,” she whispered to Crystal. “Hand me the grenade launcher.”

Using the bulky weapon she was able to mime her plan. It was met with furious head shaking from her audience. She pointed at him, then dragged her fingertip toward the nearby skull. Eyes was skeptical, his irises looking at her and the bleached bone doubtfully.

Rogue groaned and ducked back out of view. “He doesn't think it'll work.”

Crystal paced back and forth. She was getting restless and irate. If she had to guess, Rogue would say she was anxious to go after Fish. The rock mutant grumbled something and stood next to Rogue. 

She shuffled up to the edge of the cliff and repeated Rogue’s order to take cover. Eyes glared at her and shook his head. Crystal gave a resigned sigh.

“Alright, there's nothing we can do then.” She said.

Rogue's brows furrowed. “So, we have to make a new plan?”

“You can if you’d like. May I hold this for a minute?”

Rogue passed her the grenade launcher. “I mean, my first idea was to shoot at them normally, but Eyes could be caught in the crossfire. Or hit by a ricochet.”

“Mmhmm,” Crystal shuffled back to the ledge. 

“We could, no, it's too high. Jumping down, you might make it but I couldn't.”

“Oh surely.” Crystal pointed the nozzle at the fire. 

“Maybe we could-” she looked up and gasped. “Crystal? What are you doing?”

Crystal held up one hand, her three fingers extended. 

“I'm only hurrying things along.” She folded one finger down. Three, two...

Rogue peeked over the edge and could see that Eyes was rolling himself to cover as fast as he could go. Crystal placed her hand back on the launcher and adjusted her aim. One of the bandits looked up, shielding its eye from the sun. 

“Maybe I should-”

The grenade landed square in the center of the fire. The bandits didn't even have time to look down before they were thrown back by the explosion. They crashed into the canyon walls before sliding to the ground in heaps of burning gauze. A faint humming noise followed. Eyes was screaming, unharmed, surrounded by skull fragments.

The two started running back the way they’d come heading for the canyon’s mouth. 

“Crystal, that shot was amazing.” Rogue puffed.

“Oh! Thank you. I used to be part of a faculty baseball team. Figured it couldn't be much different from aiming the automatic pitching machine.”

“What kind of faculty?”

“Hmm?”

“Where did you work?”

“Ah. That's a story for later.”

They turned and entered the canyon. Soon they were kneeling beside their rescued teammate. Eyes’ screaming changed from a continuous drone to angry ranting. Rogue was sure he was cursing them out. The lucky bastard got a pass from Crystal either out of pity or because she couldn't be bothered to decipher his noises.

“Yes yes,” she muttered through his ranting. “Big bad Crystal had to threaten you. Oh, how awful.”

With his hands free, Eyes grabbed hold of Rogue’s shoulders. Half of his eyes glared at the purple mutant while the rest looked at her with betrayal.

Rogue held up her hands in surrender. “If it makes you feel better, that part wasn't in the plan.”

“Mmm mph?!” He yelled.

“Sorry,” she said standing up, “I couldn't stop her.”

Eyes glared at the purple mutant.

Crystal softened and reached for his head. “Oh you poor thing. Your eyes are all red. Here.” 

She took out her polishing rag and dabbed at his leaking eyes. He crossed his arms in an attempt to pout. But it was hard to stay mad at someone while they were being nice to you.

Rogue patted his shoulder. “You're welcome for the rescue, by the way.”

He humphed and closed the eyes he had facing her.

“It looks like this one here might be blackening. We'll have to put a damp cloth on it once we get back to camp.” Crystal stood up and helped Eyes to his feet. 

“But before we do that, we have to find Fish. Which way did they take him?” She asked. 

Eyes’ eyes swiveled in their sockets, searching. They all locked onto one spot and he pointed down. A huge boot print marred the sand. Looking between the print and the small bandit corpses Rogue gulped. Crystal had said the bandit was big, but she could never have imagined him being that huge. 

She had only seen the desert inhabitants from afar, and each had been barely as tall as her waist. Of course, the bandits would always flee once seeing the mutants, and she tended to forget they existed when faced with the desert’s other dangers. There were maggots that hid under the sand or inside rotting corpses, each bigger than her hand. They could bite pretty hard, but at least they were also slow moving and easy to kill. The mutants hunted the weak creatures for food, but she'd been warned that full-grown maggots were much more dangerous. Of course the scorpions were always at the forefront of her mind. They were deadly monsters with venomous tails, and they could also spit burning green acid from their mouths. Rogue had fought them only once, and that was one time too many. 

“Are you sure that thing is a bandit?” She asked.

“Crystal,” said Crystal. Eyes groaned.

The rock mutant shoved the grenade launcher into his hands and turned to the foot print. “We have no time to waste. Come on you two.” 

“Wait,” Rogue stood and walked over to a lump in the sand. She grabbed at it and lifted Fish’s bag of pilfered goods. It had been left behind and forgotten after the ambush.

“We can use these blasters. IDPD guns don't need to be reloaded.” 

She passed one to each mutant. Eyes slung the grenade launcher over his back and eagerly accepted the blaster. Crystal took two, holding one in each craggy hand. Rogue reached deep into the contents, searching for any more hidden goods. Her hand came up with a fistful of respirator filters. 

“Thank god.” She held her breath as she yanked the front panel off her respirator and slid a fresh filter into place. “Crystal, you're a lifesaver.”

“I didn't get those.” 

Rogue shoved the rest of the filters into her bursting fanny pack. “Oh, in that case, Eyes is a lifesaver.”

“Nnn nn.” He mumbled. 

She paused; looked back at them. Eyes held his hands against the sides of his head and wiggled three fingers. Fish fins. Rogue looked down at the sack in her hand. He must have grabbed them after she stormed off. Even though he'd been pissed at her. 

“Fuck,” she said, “I've been a real asshole.”

Crystal raised her hands. “No, Rogue, you weren't-”

“Nope. I definitely was, and when we find Fish, I'm gonna apologize for it.” 

She replaced the sack and covered it in sand. There were still guns and ammo in there. They would come back for it later. All of them would. Rogue stood, two back up blasters swinging at her hips and her original gripped in her right hand. 

“Let's go get our guy back, ‘ey team?”

Eyes flashed a thumbs up. Crystal looked both of them over with pride.

“Yes, let's go.”

She marched towards the print, studied it, then started jogging in the direction it faced. Rogue and Eyes followed her from behind, their longer legs allowing them to walk leisurely. Rogue turned to him.

“Are you sure that thing is a bandit?” The size of the print still seemed much too large to belong to a species only one foot tall.

Eyes nodded. He stopped for a minute to draw something in the sand. Rogue frowned. 

“A rectangle?”

He shook his head and waved his arms. Small, many, finger twirl around his head. She couldn't understand any of it.

“Come on!” Crystal shouted. “We're wasting daylight.”

They ran after her. Behind them, in the canyon, a figure slunk into the light. Blackened sand crunched under its feet as it surveyed the aftermath of the blast. The blade of a shovel was peeking out of the sand. With difficulty it pulled it free and hefted it in both hands. The tool had gone untouched by the grenade; could still be useful. With ragged breaths it followed the footprints of the traveling trio, stopping only to look back at the three bandaged corpses. A few minutes later the ground shook with three huge explosions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if this is a short and pretty uneventful addition. All the shit goes down in the next one, and I didn't want to leave you all on a cliff hanger.


	3. Of Glitter and Gleam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rogue, Crystal, and Eyes reach the bandit camp. I’m order to save Fish, they’ll need help from an unlikely ally.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry this took so long. Me and writing, man, she’s a finnicky mistress. Anyways, I hope this last chapter lives up to the last two, and I hope you don’t regret hanging around for it.

The bandit camp wasn't much of a camp. Rogue had expected to see tents or little houses, but instead there were only flaming barrels and discarded weapons laying in the sand. The little bandits mulled around aimlessly. Most of them were huddled around the barrel fires while others made piles in the sand or polished their guns. 

“This is their base?” Rogue whispered to Crystal. “This is...nothing.”

“Don't sound so disappointed,” Crystal scolded, “this makes our job easier.”

Eyes hefted the grenade launcher onto his shoulder and aimed at the nearest barrel. Crystal and Rouge both grabbed the nozzle and forced it down. 

“Not yet, be patient.” Crystal muttered. “We have to be 100% sure that Fish is out of harm’s way.”

Rouge watched a bandit form a pile of sand over their lap. “I'm not disappointed, I'm just surprised. You and Fish said that the bandits were dangerous, but-” another bandit kicked the pile of sand, spraying it into the other’s eye. The two went down in a flurry of fists and kicks. “They don't seem overly smart is all.”

Crystal watched the two brawling bandits. “I don't think the poor things are violent by nature.”

“They're not.”

Rogue and Crystal jumped. The voice had come from the sand at their feet. She aimed her blaster at the ground. 

“Who’s there?” She demanded. “Show yourself.”

“You have to promise not to shoot me first.” The voice responded. 

Eyes fumbled with the grenade launcher. 

Rogue didn't look up. “Eyes, if you fire that thing at this range you kill us all.” 

Eyes grumbled and hoisted the launcher. He was itching to shoot the thing.

“And you call us the dumb ones.” The voice commented. 

“Enough already!” Rouge shoved her blaster’s nozzle into the ground. “You tell us where Fish is and I won't shoot you...yet.”

“How nice. Can I at least get up before you go aiming guns at me?”

They exchanged looks. 

“It's a bandit.” Rogue said. 

“Obviously,” Eyes muttered and rolled his eyes.

“Yes, but,” Crystal interjected, “we've never known a bandit to speak. At least, not coherently.”

“That means it could be smart enough to trick us.” Rogue hissed.

“Now let's not jump to any conclusions. It hasn't attacked us yet, which is a good sign.” 

“Because I don't plan on attacking you.” The voice was right behind them. 

Rogue ducked and spun, landing on her knees with her blaster aimed at the thing’s chest. It was a bandit, taller than the ones mulling around the “camp,” possibly only a few inches shorter than Rogue herself. It's cyclopean eye was green instead of red, and a sand-encrusted scarf fluttered against her back. Rogue didn't shoot, but her finger twitched against the trigger. Eyes lifted the launcher. Crystal snatched it from him. 

“Good call.” The bandit nodded to the purple mutant. 

Eyes glared. 

“I'm a she, by the way. “It” works too, but I prefer you not call me that.”

“Do you know where Fish is?” Crystal asked.

The bandit nodded again. “He's in my brother’s burrow. I can lead you to him, but leading him, your friend, to you would be easier.”

“Would your brother happen to be the one that made those monster-sized footprints, would he?” Rogue raised her blaster to aim for her face. 

The bandit stared at Rogue. She glared back. This must be one of those blink-and-you-lose stare downs she saw in movies. 

“Hello?” The bandit was being too quiet. 

“You're human,” she said in awe.

Oh. Right. 

“Yeah, I am. And your brother is a Goliath. We all have our quirks.”

Eyes laughed and patted her shoulder, raising his hand for a high five. Rogue sighed and returned the gesture. She lowered her gun and stood. The bandit wasn't armed and the tension was gone. No need to keep squatting on the ground.

“What is an IDPD officer doing traveling with mutants?” The bandit kept a close eye on Rogue. 

“It's a long story. What's a bandit doing talking to an IDPD officer?” 

The bandit lowered her eye and crossed her arms. “It's an unpleasant story.”

“Can you help us rescue Fish?” Crystal asked.

“I want to. I mean, I'll try my best. I haven't come up with a solid plan, but having you here makes things a bit easier.” She nodded at Rogue.

Rogue raised an eyebrow. “How's that?” 

“You're human. Humanoid in shape. I could wrap you in some bandages and sneak you into the tunnels. Only thing is that it would only fool the goons. Those are the little guys.” She pointed at the desert field where the tiny mummy figures wandered. 

“You two,” she pointed to Eyes and Crystal, “could make a distraction. Fire on them, I run to my brother, he comes out-

“With that awful gun?” Crystal asked. Her facets winked in the sun.

The bandit rubbed her neck. “Yeah, but if the human and I can get your friend free then you just have to retreat after you see him.”

“Okay, but they wouldn't know if we'd gotten out. We have no way of communicating to each other.” Rogue said. 

The bandit winked (or maybe it blinked). “Yes we do.” 

She spread her feet and raised her arms, head tilting back. As if blown by a strong wind her wrappings began to loosen and fall away. The ends coiled and writhed against the sand. On either side of the bandit, two new ones began to form. Alarmed, Rogue raised her blaster. Eyes ducked behind her while Crystal stepped forward.

“Bandits don't have any weird abilities, right?” She asked.

“I don't really know what bandits can do anymore.” Crystal said breathlessly.

Three bandits stood before them now. The two new bandits were small like the others, but their eyes were green, like their creator’s. Blue handkerchiefs were tied around their necks.

“These two will go with you. They'll let you know when your friends are safely away, and once you retreat I'll keep my brother from following your trail.”

The two little bandits nodded. The three looked at eachother. Crystal shrugged.

“We don't have any other plan.” She sounded tired.

Eyes looked at Rogue in a way that begged her to come up with something. She couldn't, and she conveyed as much by turning her back on him and approaching the bandits. She raised her blaster and pressed the nozzle into the tall one’s chest. 

“You hurt them, and I'll kill you.” She said.

The bandit said nothing. She stood still and waited for Rogue to lower her weapon before stepping back. 

“You two get on the west side of the camp. It's the farthest from my brother’s burrow and will give you a head start on your retreat if you're lucky. My goons will help with the attack and pull you away when we've got your friend.”

She motioned for Rogue to follow her as she turned away. Rogue watched her friends as they began walking in the opposite direction, following the two tiny bandits. Crystal and Eyes looked back at her and waved, Crystal smiling too wide, and Eyes’ shoulders hunched. 

“I have spare wrappings.” The bandit was gathering a handful of what looked like gauze as Rogue finally followed her. “Stand still while I wrap these around you.”

The bandit’s fingers scratched against Rogue’s face as she began wrapping her head. Their gauze was old and embedded with sand. She tried not to move when the gauze was wound around her throat. 

“Do all the goons out there come from your brother?” She was glad that the respirator allowed her to talk under the layer of wraps. 

“How'd you know?” The bandit asked.

“So they are?” 

“...yes.”

They were quiet while Rogue’ arms and chest were wrapped. 

“Why are you helping us?” She finally asked. 

The bandit remained quiet. 

“Are you trying to overthrow him or something?”

“No.” The bandit carefully wrapped the gauze around Rogue’s boots.

“I only saw his guys out there. You could make a bunch of your own and like, have a rebellion.”

“We don't need a rebellion. He just needs help.” The bandit tied off the wrappings and tucked the rest of the gauze into her own belt-like wraps. “He's taken in too many rads. It's messed with his head.”

“What are rads?” Rogue bent her knees experimentally. The wraps stayed in place without showing even a sliver of her blue jumpsuit underneath. She slipped the Portal Strike onto her back and returned her blasters to her sides.

“They're like,” she snapped a few times while she thought, “like crystallized radiation. They look like little cylinders and they're even smaller than a finger. You'll see when we get to his burrow. Here.” 

The bandit held out her hand out to Rogue. 

“We have to go under the sand. I'll pull you through.”

Rogue hesitated. “And you won't try and drown me in the sand?”

“You're wearing a mask.”

“Good point.” Rogue clasped the bandit’s hand. “Lead the way, Rebel Leader.”

The bandit stepped closer. Rogue stiffened, worried that she'd angered her.

The bandit put her other hand around her shoulders. “Just Rebel works for now.”

There was a brief sensation of falling. Rogue felt the sand shifting against her new wrappings and pressing against her closed eyes. It lasted only a moment before she was on her feet again. Opening her eyes she found herself in a dim tunnel. It was wide and tall, lit every few yards by iron barrels full of fire. Turning her head she could see Rebel next to her, eye shining brightly. Their hands were still intertwined. 

She pulled her hand away and stepped back, scanning the tunnel and listening closely. Rebel backed away as well, feet shuffling on the sandy floor. 

“You guys really like setting barrels on fire.” She said. 

The tunnel was just as hot as it was on the surface. The still air made it feel somehow hotter, and Rogue found herself sweating under the gauze.

“The cold is especially unpleasant for us. These are just for light, though. Come on, this way. And try to act natural.”

Rogue followed her through the tunnel system. They passed two loitering goons, and she did her best to walk by normally as their red eyes followed her. The Portal Strike drew attention with its blue lights, and she hated herself for bringing it into the tunnels. She couldn't even go back to her home dimension, why bring it along? Stupid thing couldn't even make portals anymore.

She collided with Rebel’s back. Alarmed, she raised her blaster and looked around for hostiles, but they were alone. Rebel turned to face her.

“My brother’s quarters are up ahead. You'll have to hide next to the opening, so that when he runs out he doesn't see you.” She instructed. 

“Alright, let's go.” Rogue tried to step around her, but Rebel stepped into her path. 

“Wait, I don't know what might be happening in there. Whatever you hear, you can't go in there until he's gone.”

Rogue felt a cold shiver run down her spine. “Are you saying that your brother could be hurting him, and we've been wasting time with disguises?”

“It's not wasting time if it gets him out of here alive.”

Rebel stiffened suddenly. The ground around them shook with a dull thud. 

“The distraction has started. Stay calm and wait for him to leave. Please, officer.”

Rogue swallowed and nodded, willing herself to be truthful. Rebel led her down a long hallway. At the end of it was a circular hole with a tattered sheet covering it. Rogue stopped. There was noise coming from the other side. 

“We all friends here, little fishy. Tell me where yous camp is.”

Thumping noises and a strained gasp answered.

A barking laugh. “Little fishy, tell me where yous camp is, an’ I lets you breathe again.”

Rebel’s hand clenched Rogue’s shoulder. She hadn't realized she was shaking. That voice shook the walls with how loud it was. And the gurgling, pained noises could only come from one person.

“Over here.” Rebel led her to the patch of wall right next to the opening. “Stand with your back to it. He shouldn't pay you more than a glance.” She complied and Rebel rushed through the opening. 

The trash talk speech between her and her brother was hard to understand. Rebel already had some sort of accent to her speech, but the other, unseen bandit was slurring and speaking words out of order. Suddenly there was an ear-splitting roar and the cloth was torn from the wall. The Big Bandit charged down the tunnel. Rogue was rooted to the spot just by the size of him. He was ginormous! And he was moving so fast that his feet barely seemed to touch the ground. He hadn't been running at all, it seemed more likely that he had launched himself forward and was moving purely on his own inertia. As Rebel had said he paid no mind to the hidden officer as he made his exit. 

Rogue waited - counted three unsteady breaths - before finally moving from her hiding spot and entering the Big Bandit’s lair. Rebel was kneeling on the floor over the battered body of Fish. He groaned as she pulled him up into a sitting position. 

“Get offa me, I can stand by m’self.” He wiped blood from his mouth and clutched at his side. “Just...gimme a second.”

“Fish!” Rogue rushed to kneel beside the bandit. “Are you okay?”

“Rogue? Oh fuck, don’t tell me they grabbed you too. I shoudn’t of let you-”

“Save it. I’m here to rescue you. Eyes and Crystal are distracting the bandits so we can get away.”

He eyed Rebel warrily. “What about this one?” 

“Not important, old man.” She retorted. “What is important is that you have some hurt ribs. Bruised if you’re lucky; broken if you aren’t.”

“Fantastic.” He struggled to get his feet under him. 

Rogue clipped her blaster onto her belt and grabbed his arm. Slipping it over her shoulders she was able to lug him into a standing position. Her three blasters bumped against her thighs and tugged at her fanny pack. She had definitely brought too many guns.

“Shit! Shit. God, that hurts.” He gasped. 

Rebel took up his other side. “Allow me, officer.” 

Fish’s head snapped to the side and he stared at Rebel, fins standing on end. “How’d you know I was a cop?”

“I was talking to the human.” She replied.

“You’re a cop?” Rogue craned her neck to try and meet his eyes.

Fish looked ahead, avoiding them both. “WAS a cop. A human one. Let’s get out of here.”

“Wait. What’s that?”

Rogue found herself pointing at what could only be some sort of makeshift throne. The bandit leader had piled sand against one wall of his room and shaped it into something vaguely chair-like. There were shiny pieces of metal and rusty guns stuck into it, and glowing green lights twinkling like stars. 

“My brother tried to make his own Nuclear Throne. He never believed in the legend, but he wanted to make it real. He decorated it with pretty things, and that included rads.”

“So that’s how he got overexposed.” Fish grumbled. 

Rogue looked between the two. “What’s a Nuclear Throne?”

“You don’t know?” Rebel’s head tilted to one side. 

Rogue waved her hand. “Human, remember? Not from here.”

Fish started at the lumpy seat. He shook his head and looked away. 

“I’ll tell you about it later. Let’s get moving.”

The earth around them shook with a dull roar. Sand sprinkled down on them like snow. It stopped almost as soon as it started, but Rogue found herself panting, looking at the ceiling and walls for signs of a cave in. It hadn’t occurred to her until now that if the tunnels caved in there would be no one to dig them out. Rebel’s eye darted back and forth, but she wasn’t looking at the walls.

“My brother has made it to the surface.” She said quietly.

“Crystal and Eyes are out there, you said.” Fish struggled to pull his arms back. “We gotta get out there!” 

“You can’t walk on your own,” Rogue shot back, “and Rebel has some little guys keeping them safe, right?”

She looked to the bandit for confirmation. Rebel was standing at attention, back straight and arms taunt. Rogue reached over and prodded her back, but she got no response. 

“Rebel, come on. We have to get out of here so the others can retreat.”

Rebel slumped forward and coughed. Black liquid dribbled down her face, leaking from the singular eye hole in her wrappings. She turned to look at Rogue. Even without facial expressions she could feel the fear radiating from her. 

“He killed my goons.” She whispered.

Fish was moving before the final syllable had left Rebel’s mouth. If she had one, that is. He slipped his arms free, snatched a blaster from Rogue’s belt, and took off down the tunnel. 

“Fish!” Rogue yelled after him. “Fucking bastard.”

“Go. Go after him. I’ll catch up.” Rebel heaved.

Rogue hesitated. 

“Go, before he gets to my brother. He didn’t stand a chance before, and he doesn’t have one now.”

Rogue ignored her. “He knows that you’re helping us, doesn’t he.”

Rebel looked at her quizzically. “Why does it matter?”

“Because it means that you have to get out of here too. Come on.” She grabbed the bandit’s hand and started pulling her down the tunnel.

“What difference does it make to you if my brother kills me once you’re gone?”

Rogue marched on, eyes forward. “Because a smartass fish once told me that it’s safer to stay in a group, even if it makes a bigger target. You got guys gunning for you, and I have guys gunning for me. If you tag along, then it’s one more pair of eyes to help keep watch.”

She stopped. The tunnel split into two paths. She turned around and faced Rebel. 

“If you want to come with me, then tell me where to go. If you want to stay here, then let go of my hand after that.”

Rebel looked down at their intertwined hands.

“Personally,” Rogue said, “I haven’t seen much worth sticking around for.”

“My brother is here.” Rebel said. “He’s all I have left from before.”

Rogue looked at the paths. Looked back at Rebel. 

“Is he worth staying behind for? If he’s gonna kill you for helping us?”

Rebel’s fingers tightened against Rogue’s hand. “We go right.” She pulled her hand away and took up the lead. 

“And then what?” Rogue asked jogging up beside her.

“Then, I find my brother.”

There had been no warning of the Bandit’s arrival. He had simply emerged from the ground in an explosion of sand and bullets. His gun was clutched in one hand, and with the other he shielded his eye against the sun. Eyes was prone at the giant’s feet, having been thrown back when the boss emerged from the ground beside him. Big Bandit looked down at the blue mutant and giggled to himself. 

“Stupid little stick thing. Yous head is too big for yous body. Lemme get rid a it for ya.”

Eyes scrambled away as the Bandit reached towards him with a thick, beastly hand. There was a flash of blaster fire and the hand was reeled back. A circular burn mark marred the back of the giant’s glove. Crystal glowered down at him from the top of the nearest dune.

“You leave him alone.” She said.

“Rock…” He growled deep in his throat. 

Eyes got to his feet and bolted as Crystal, caught in a stare down with the Bandit, holstered her blaster and retrieved the grenade launcher from behind her back. The bandit hefted his weapon onto his shoulder. He watched her load and take aim.

“Yous gonna shoot me wit that little gun?” He challenged.

Crystal’s aim had the grenade colliding with the center of his chest. He disappeared in an explosion of blinding light and deafening noise. Crystal watched the ball of fire with the launcher still aimed and ready. There was no time to fire as the Big Bandit shot out of the blaze and slammed into her. 

Crystal flew back and tumbled downward. She landed on her face and flailed her arms helplessly. A hand grabbed her, palm enveloping her back, and lifted her up. 

“Shiny. I have yous, shiny.”

“You ain't got shit, pal!”

Blaster fire collided with his metal jaw and he stumbled. He lost his grip on Crystal and she fell. He grabbed for her, but the rounds pelting his face blinded him. The Big Bandit fired his own gun in a wide arc. Hunched down in the sand Crystal could see Fish unloading an IDPD blaster into the fiend. The Bandit’s bullets flew past him but he stood his ground. 

“That's for my ribs, asshole.” He yelled, pausing his fire long enough for the Bandit to get a look at him. 

He roared and began charging at Fish, only to be blindsided by another grenade. Eyes laughed maniacally as he fired explosive after explosive. The Bandit turned his way. Fish resumed shooting. The Bandit turned towards him. The grenades came faster. They had him trapped! He fell to his knees under the barrage, then his hands hit the sand as well.

“Keep firing! He can't withstand this much longer.” Crystal ordered.

“Stop firing! Stop!” 

Rebel ran between her brother and Fish’s volleys. He turned his blaster aside to send the last round whizzing into the sand. Eyes, confused, lowered his weapon as well. Rebel cradled her brother’s plated jaw in her hands. He was burned and smoking. Fire still flickered along the edges of his cape. 

“Brother, brother, can you hear me?”

A strained inhale. 

“It's alright. If we just let them leave they won't hurt you anymore. Just...just surrender, bro please.” 

A minute twitch. 

“Say you'll leave them alone. Then I'll patch you up and things can go back to normal.”

Rogue came jogging up to the scene. She had ripped off most of the wrappings, but some still clung to her arms and legs. Sand coated her hair. The Bandit looked up and locked his eyes on her. Not her specifically, the glowing blue lights of the Portal Strike she wore on her back. 

His charred form began to rise.

“Sh….ny.”

“Bro? Benny?” Rebel grappled at his arms. 

The Big Bandit rose to his feet. His jaw was glowing red, just like his eye. 

“She has...shinies.”

“Benny no!”

There was a hand around her throat before Rogue had seen him move. He was almost invisible with how quickly he had lunged forward. Her bangs parted as she was rushed up into the air. They flew upwards as she was bashed against the ground. The Portal Strike absorbed most of the damage, but her head flew back painfully. The only thing she could see was his angry red iris looming over her face. The jaw was gone. Hot breath battered her face. 

“GIVE ME SHINY.” 

Rogue would later swear that her hearing aid had been vibrating with the force of the Bandit’s words. It left her ears ringing, blocking out the cries of her friends. She saw Eyes’ lanky arms wrap around his shoulders in an attempt to pull him off. The Bandit simply reached back with his free hand, grabbed him by his bulbous head, and flung him away. Rebel tugged at his arm and beat at his thick fingers. He grabbed her forearm and threw her aside, making her cry out in pain.

Rogue snapped out of her shock and grabbed at his hand. It was so big that he needed only his index and thumb to hold her neck, while the rest of his fingers held her shoulder like a vice. The metal spikes on his knuckles were still red and hot. They burned her palms and fingers through her triple padded gloves. He lifted her and smashed her back down, then again, then again. Something cracked on the last impact. Whether it was the Portal Strike or one of her bones Rogue couldn't tell. Something wet was spreading across her back. It burned with cold fire.

The bandit lifted her again and held her there. Her chest was burning, but she clenched her teeth and swung one leg around the arm holding her. With her other foot she drove her heel into his eye. It made him stagger, but he didn’t drop her. His hold tightened and he pushed the pad of his thumb against her chin forcing back her head.

His panting alternated with hysterical laughing. “If I...if I pop off yous little head...will the shinies come out?” 

The fingers around her throat tightened still. Sound was starting to fade out with her vision. Rogue’s hands slipped off of his and dangled at her sides. Someone was screaming. Her body jerked as the Big Bandit kicked at something. A purple blur flashed in the corner of her eye. Crystal was lying in the sand.

Rogue felt something hot and powerful pulse inside her chest. Her vision cleared, as if a gust of wind had lifted away a blanket of fog. Was this that life-saving adrenaline rush she'd heard about? The rush that made your body fight for life as it was minutes from death? She didn't feel like she was about to die. She felt invincible.

Her fist wound back and smashed into the Bandit’s ruddy eye. Then, there was something like an electric shock throughout her whole body. It fizzled over her skin and danced along her nerves before flying down her arm and out of her fist. The Bandit flew backwards as if he'd been hit by a truck, dropping Rogue who landed on her feet. Rogue didn't feel pain anymore. There was only this strange energy and the strength that came with it. 

The Bandit got to his feet. He was unsteady, but he charged her anyway. Someone grabbed Rogue’s arm; tried to pull her out of the way. Instead she pulled her arm free and thrust it towards the oncoming threat. She felt the surge again, weaker, but still there. The Bandit was thrown backwards again, blue pulses of light barreling into him from Rouge’s outstretched hand. 

She stumbled. The power was beginning to disappear. Her legs were shaking and her head was light. Pain was spreading across her back and neck. The Bandit charged again. She raised her hand again. This time the pulse was almost nothing. He was prepared as well. He was able to stay on his feet while the blast pushed him backwards.

Rogue’s knees buckled. The Bandit charged. She could see him growing larger. His eye was glowing like an angry ember. Then it exploded. The ground under him had been littered with the bodies of his goons. Every one of them exploded, bursting as if they had been stuffed with grenades.

His body crumpled even as inertia pulled it forward. His head hit the sand and his neck bent awkwardly as the rest followed. He stopped inches from Rogue, face down in the sand and bent up in the middle. Like this he looked like a pile of laundry. 

“NOOO!” 

The scream was inhuman. Dimly, Rogue realized that it was. Rebel ran to her brother’s side cradling her injured arm. She shook him, pleaded at him, pressed her face into his shouldering wraps. 

“Benny. Benny. Benny.” she sobbed. 

Rogue watched, still stunned from all that had happened. A hand landed on her shoulder and she looked up. Fish’s head was battered and swollen. She felt a laugh bubbling up in her throat, and swallowed it. Now wasn’t the time. 

“Are ya okay?” He asked. 

“Are you?” She answered. 

Fish shrugged, hand against his side. “Nope.”

“Hah,” she winced and rubbed her bruised neck. “Same.”

Crystal and Eyes, standing behind him, motioned for her to go on. 

“So, I found the filters. The ones from your bag.”

“Yeah, well, you needed ‘em.”

“Even though I'm a pain in the ass?”

Fish grinned, “Especially since you're a pain in the ass. Can't have you kick the bucket while I'm around. Who would I yell at?”

“That apology was terrible.” 

“I didn't hear you sayin’ sorry.”

“You're right...I'm sorry.”

“Don't be, kid.” He ruffled her hair. “You got me outta that hell hole. Just stop jumpin’ in front of every god-damned thing, would ya?” His face softened a bit. “At least until ya heal up?”

Rogue struggled to her feet. “Only because you asked so nicely. Now,” she looked around, keeping her eyes high to avoid the Bandit’s corpse. “Where's Eyes? He really did a great job with the grenade launcher.”

“He did, but that last hit wasn't him.” Fish pointed.

Crystal was sitting up with Eyes trying to help her up. Another mutant stood nearby. His empty sockets were trained on Rogue. 

“Melting?” She asked incredulously.

Fish nodded. “He's got some weird power. If he's close to them he can make dead bodies...y’know.”

Rogue scrubbed at her face. She'd been close to that explosion, and the thought of having been hit by any of its debris was skin crawling. 

“Eugh, I know. Trust me, if you get hit by anything you'll feel it.”

Eyes helped Crystal hobble over to the others. Her breathing was louder than before. Raspier. A long, narrow crack ran vertically along her side. 

“Crys!”

Fish dropped his weapons and ran the short distance between them. He tried to look at the wound, but Crystal threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug. He struggled to push her away, but she wouldn't budge. Eyes took his leave, going to stand next to Rogue and watch the scene.

“You okay, buddy?” 

He nodded.

“Happy you finally got to shoot the launcher?”

He nodded faster.

They watched Fish finally detangle himself from Crystal’s grasp. They spoke in hushed tones, foreheads touching.

“They're really close, aren't they?”

Eyes rolled his eyes. He used his hands to form a heart and mimicked it beating over his chest. She raised her eyebrows.

“Is that official, or?”

Eyes flung his hands out towards the two mutants. Look at them. Tell me they aren't in love?

“You're telling me Fish has told her that he loves her?”

Eyes giggled evilly. He fumbled his hands and mimed wiping sweat. 

“Shut up, Eyes.”

Eyes jumped. Fish hadn't even turned to look at him. He was too busy wrapping bandages - pilfered from non-exploded corpses - around Crystal's middle.

Eyes made smaller hand movements. Rewind. Explosion. He pointed at the two mutants.

“They knew each other before the blast?”

Eyes nodded.

“Gahh ssssssip.”

They both jumped. Melting had made its way over to them and was now standing right behind them. Eyes gripped his chest and braced himself against his knees. Rogue tried not to look directly at him, much less his bare skull.

“Uh, sorry, Melting. We weren’t-”

“Mussss speeeek ill of th-living, if not theeee dead.” Melting garbled.

“Ahah...yeah.” 

They all fell quiet as Fish and Crystal joined them. Her limp was bad, but not as bad as his. They leaned against each other for support. 

“Let's get back to camp.” Fish said.

“The poor thing.” Crystal sighed.

Rogue dared to turn her head towards the Big Bandit’s body. Rebel was still beside him, curled up against his form as if huddling for warmth. She was so much smaller than he was. 

“We can't leave her here.” Rogue said, surprising herself. 

Crystal smiled. “I was thinking the same thing.”

Eyes squinted at her, hands splayed. What?!

“I don't know.” Fish looked up. “She's not in the best shape right now, and we should try to make it back before it gets dark.” 

“Just gimme a sec.” Rogue turned her back on the mutants.

Rebel seemed dead to the world. Her hands were tangled in burnt bandage wraps, her head buried in his tattered cape. From a distance she seemed still, but as she got closer Rogue could see how badly she was shaking. She crouched nearby, close enough to reach out, but she wouldn't. 

“Rebel?” She called softly. “Can you hear me?”

The bandit clutched tighter at her brother. 

“Rebel?”

“Leave me.” 

“You shouldn't be alone out here. It's dangerous.”

No answer.

“Rebel-”

“Officer.” She raised her head. Her green eye was leaking thick, green tears. “I think it would be more dangerous if you stayed here, bothering me.”

Rogue knew a brick wall when she saw one. 

“Okay, I'll go. But, I'm leaving you these.” She unclipped the two extra blasters from her fanny pack strap and laid them in the sand. “If you wanna join us - you don't have to - we have a camp a few miles away.”

“Why would I go with you?”

“Because,” Rogue struggled to remember her words from earlier, “it's safer in a group. You may not have anyone after you, but we'll watch your back all the same. Good people don't deserve to die out here.”

“I'm a bandit. What makes you think I'm a good person?”

Rogue shrugged. “You don't seem that bad. You didn't drown me in the sand and you helped me save Fish.”

“I didn't stop my brother from trying to kill you.”

“But you tried. I saw it.”

Rebel buried her face back in the cape, this time so that her back faced Rogue. Rogue stood up, legs cracking angrily. 

“Just think about it, okay? I don't want you stuck out here on your own.”

Rebel offered no reply. Rogue took her leave. As she and the rest of her team made their way back to camp she kept looking back, hoping that Rebel would move or be looking back. She never was. 

“I don't wanna go! I don't wanna go!”

Shani craned her neck. She had been one of the first kids herded onto the bus, so she was stuck with a seat in the back. A new kid had just been shoved inside, and he was making a huge racket. 

“Mama! Dad! Ayudame!”

“Shut UP.” Another kid yelled. A chorus of laughs followed.

Shani took hold of the seat in front of her and dragged herself over. She landed on two other kids and dodged their elbows as she pulled herself over the next seat. Her arms were burning by the time she reached the front of the bus. 

The new kid hadn't budged from the door. He beat the glass with his fists and smeared it with his tears and snot. Shani considered leaving him there, but another angry jeer from the passengers spurred her forward. 

“Hey?” She tapped his shoulder.

The kid whirled around. Two big, terrified eyes peered out from his slimy face.

“I wanna get off.” He said.

“You can't get off.” She answered. 

He struck the door with his shoulder. “I want off! I want off! Mama!”

He was so small. Shani knew that the age cutoff for tryouts was 13 and older. He looked like he was closer to 8 or 9.

“How old are you?”

He looked at her over his shoulder. “I...I'm 14.”

“Why are you so short?”

Defeated, the boy put his back against the door and ran his hands through his hair. “I don't know. We thought they wouldn't take me because I was. But they did. They're taking me and I don't want to GO.”

The door opened, making him fall back, but a booted foot met him on the way down and launched him back inside. He collided with Shani sending them both crashing against the driver’s seat. 

“Stay inside!” Roared the officer. Their badge glittered brightly on their shoulder. Shani could see her face reflected in their visor. The officer stomped to the seat and raised their foot as if to kick them aside. Shani jumped to her feet and pulled the crying boy along. The officer sat down and started the bus.

“No. No, no, no, no-” the boy sobbed and shivered. Shani pulled him back to her seat. He curled up next to her, face hidden in his hands. She rubbed his back as they were carried away from the training camp and into the unknown.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you enjoyed, feel free to leave a comment! I hope to see you around for the next one!

**Author's Note:**

> Favalah is trashtalk for family, right?


End file.
